Dr. Ruffini urges Church communicators to place human dignity at heart of AI

By Cebu Archdiocesan Digital Communications Ministry

Human dignity, authentic relationships, and care for one another must remain at the center of communication in the age of artificial intelligence, according to Dr. Paolo Ruffini.

The Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication made the point in his keynote message during the 2nd Cebu Metropolitan Catholic Mass Media Congress (CM-CMMC), in the Philippines.

Guided by the theme, “To Work and to Take Care (Gen. 2:15): Human Dignity at the Heart of AI Innovation in Media Ministry,” the biennial congress, hosted by the Archdiocese of Cebu led by Archbishop Alberto Uy, through the Cebu Archdiocesan Digital Communications Ministry.

It was held on October 3–4 and gathered around 800 Church media ministers, communicators, clergy, religious, educators, students, and communication professionals from dioceses and Catholic institutions across the Ecclesiastical Province of Cebu.

Through keynote talks, panel discussions, workshops, and fellowship, participants reflected on how the Church can faithfully proclaim the Gospel amid the rapid development of digital technologies and artificial intelligence.

Addressing the delegates through a recorded message, Dr. Ruffini stressed that technological progress must always be accompanied by media literacy, ethical discernment, and a renewed commitment to the common good.

This begins by recognizing that every person possesses an inherent dignity that no technology should diminish.

“We must always place the person and the common good at the center, together with empathy, reciprocity and gratitude,” Dr. Ruffini said, emphasizing the need to keep the human person at the heart of digital innovation.

Reflecting on the Filipino concept of “kapwa”, Dr. Ruffini presented it as a vision of the human person rooted in relationship, contrasting it with digital systems that often reduce users to isolated profiles to be mapped and monetized.

“The greatest risk of our time, therefore, may lie not in technology itself, but in the immature and unreflective egocentrism that can accompany both its use and its design,” Dr. Ruffini warned, pointing to the need for greater responsibility in the creation and use of technology.

Rather than allowing algorithms to shape society uncritically, he challenged communicators to exercise moral responsibility and make choices that build a more humane future.

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“We cannot abdicate to the task entrusted to each of us—to write not only our own story, but also the story of the world to come together,” he said, urging communicators to recognize their role in shaping the future of humanity.

Confident that such a future is possible, Dr. Ruffini said Filipinos, rooted in their faith and culture, can help shape a more human digital world.

He encouraged them to “help the world find a path toward a new humanism in the digital age” by distinguishing “thought from statistical calculation, care and love from indifference and exploitation, and the faces of others from machine-generated simulations.”

Continuing his call for responsible communication, Dr. Ruffini underscored that safeguarding is not passive preservation but an active commitment to care.

“To safeguard does not simply mean putting something away in a drawer. It means caring for someone or something with love and responsibility,” he said, reminding communicators that their mission requires sustained action rooted in concern for others.

Quoting this year’s World Communications Day message of Pope Leo XIV, he reminded communicators to remain active stewards of truth and identity in an increasingly digital society.

He also emphasized that communication must uphold transparency, accountability, and truthful storytelling so that people remain active participants in society rather than passive consumers of information.

As polarization and misinformation continue to challenge communities, Dr. Ruffini encouraged Church communicators to become witnesses of hope by sharing stories that foster understanding and communion.

“We must choose a different way of seeing, telling stories, remembering and building the future through the narratives we share,” Dr. Ruffini said, calling communicators to use storytelling as a means of fostering unity.

Calling for greater collaboration among Catholic communicators worldwide, Dr. Ruffini urged the Church to move beyond its own boundaries and use every means of communication to build unity.

He concluded his message by inviting communicators to offer themselves as the “most extraordinary medium of communication, of care and for love,” reminding them that authentic communication begins not with technology but with the human person.

The two-day congress also featured keynote sessions by Archbishop Rex Andrew Alarcon (Chair of the Philippine Episcopal Commission on Social Communications); Filipino broadcast journalists Howie Severino and Gretchen Ho; and fundraising and partnerships leader as well as a fellow of the Vatican’s Faith Communication in the Digital World program, Alex Rich.

Participants also joined breakout sessions led by Fr. Albert Garong, SSP, Annie Perez-Gallardo, Aubry Lerio, Miko Mel C. Peñaloza, April Frances Ortigas, and Kia Abrera, who shared practical insights on communication, storytelling, media production, and digital content creation for ministry.